EPTSBENU GSL
Season 3 Code A
aLive and Well
Panic vs Sleep
INnoVation vs KeeN
Dark vs aLive
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
aLive and Well
by Brindled, lichter and Darkhorse
Panic vs Sleep
This match can either be the least anticipated match ever, or the ultimate hipster match of Code A. Aside from fleeting Code S appearances
Panic and 
Sleep haven't done much in their careers, and it's difficult to imagine that they've suddenly made a substantial leap in skill during the short off-season.Surprisingly Panic has 2 consecutive Code S appearances to his name. He was bopped 0-4 in Season 1 but came within a hair of reaching the Ro16 in Season 2. He took INnoVation to the brink, but couldn't make his aggressive brand of Protoss work in the final match. Against Zerg Panic plays like a blunt fist, and the blink/sentry meta meshes well with his skill set. Though not as crisp as his brethren, Panic knows how to catch his opponents off-guard with decisive attacks.
On the other side, Sleep hasn't made a Code A appearance since mid-2014. That means there's pretty much nothing to write here. I could go with a bunch of puns involving naps, but he has to make it into Code S to be worthy of that honor.
Predictions:
Five games of blink/sentry vs roach/hydra, fifteen pages of LR thread misery
Panic 3-2 SleepINnoVation vs KeeN
This could be the start of a beautiful thing. The man who always lost to NaDa verses the man who took his place in the Starcraft pantheon. Back in the hallowed times of GomTvT, a player named MVP.
KeeN thought it was a great idea to choose NaDa as his future opponent in group nominations. With aplomb KeeN attacked this problem he invented out of thin air, determined to defeat a foe who had no quarrel with him. It led to one of the seminal "send in the clowns" trends in early SC2 history, as KeeN got destroyed time and time again by his unimpressed prey. Sadly he never learned his lesson. An ordinary person would get frustrated and end the cycle of hate. Meanwhile, KeeN attacked it in true anime fashion: the more he lost, the most he was consumed by obsession and the determination to redress the wrong.That cycle ended abruptly on June 19th, 2012. NaDa announced his retirement from professional Starcraft, ending any more chances that KeeN would have his revenge. One can only imagine what that could've felt like, having one's raison d'être snuffed out in an instant. Left a cold shell of a man, KeeN joined his MVP brethren in the Great Exodus and slipped into the darkness of free agency. He would resurface on Prime, but KeeN was never the same again.
Meanwhile, enter INnoVation. He once played KeeN long ago in GSL 2012 Season 5 Code S, a new Brood War transfer looking to establish himself. Today
INnoVation is a gargantuan presence in the scene and KeeN is the newly qualified challenger. KeeN moving to Prime maybe the thing to bring him out of his funk and help him to INnoVation should have no problem with this match. As one of the best Terrans in the world with a 65.70% TvT win rate, everyone expects the macro monster to dismantle on his way to another GSL finals run. But will he make as much of an impression on KeeN as the Genius Terran once did, and inspire a new string of losses to a superior Terran player? Will INnoVation drive KeeN mad with the odd hatred/lust worthy of a shounen manga?
Predictions:
Flawless victories, all around.
INnoVation 3 – 0 KeeNINnoVation 0 –3 KeeN's Passion, if sempai notices himDark vs aLive
If there's one thing I am known for, it is being one of the few die-hardaLive fans, and the most vocal to boot. I've rooted for him since his TSL days, and while there has actually been plenty of triumph to be had (IPL4 wasn't just the site of the most infamous disconnect in Starcraft II history), recently there hasn't been much cause to celebrate. These days most of aLive's official matches come from qualifiers, where he generally wins for a few rounds but also does not qualify. His most notable achievement over the past two years is qualifying for S2SL and GSL at the same time this season. He has been rewarded by getting through the grueling Code A and S2SL qualifiers with two very difficult Zerg opponents: Life in S2SL and
Dark in GSL. I could discuss aLive's current TvZ forum if there were any broadcasted games to look at, but alas, there's very little to analyze. He lost to Dark 1-2 when they met two weeks ago in the S2SL qualifiers, so that's....something? The fact that he took a game is at least a little promising. Dark is another player I've supported through thick and thin. In fact, he constitutes half of the prediction I made last December
While Dark looked like the one who would make me a genius, he has struggled in individual leagues while his teammate Dream has reached two S2SL finals. This is the last season to have an individual league breakout in 2015, and he was already beaten down in the Ro32 of S2SL by HyuN. We all know Dark is a great player with more potential to unlock, but it's going to be a long wait if he doesn't make it past this match.
Alright guys here's the deal. I'm a huge aLive fan, but I also pride myself on being realistic and unbiased in all* of my articles. Dark is (in all likelihood) going to win. aLive occasionally has huge and random spikes in performance (2-0 Scarlett, 2-0 Maru in WCS Season 2 Finals), but the chances of that happening are very low. I do think he'll take one game, possibly two if he can sneak a 2 rax in there, but the series should still go to Dark. Sorry buddy D:
Predictions:
Dark 3-1 aLive*
